Winters Heritage House Quilt Display

 

 

I had the privilege of displaying several of my quilts at the Winters Heritage House Quilt Exhibit this year.  Just like last year and the year before, it was a great opportunity to share my love of quilting with others. 

 

I completed this "Precious Feedsack Patches" quilt in 2007 while undergoing chemo.  It's such a dear quilt to me as it soothed my soul during that time period.

 

The "Yo Yo Rows" quilt was the first yo yo quilt I've completed. 

(I can assure you, there are more to come!)  :)



Saying Farewell

 

 

 We bid farewell to my father today,

 

 

in a lovely setting with family and friends.

 

I was grateful for the outpouring of support from those who knew my father, and was touched by the various testimonies that were shared re: how my he had impacted each one. I'm realizing more and more that Dad left quite a legacy, and it has caused me to pause to consider whether I'm leaving a positive or negative impact on family members, as well as the people whose paths I cross on a day to day basis.

I am also so very grateful my dad was able to exit this earth peacefully in his sleep, even though it was totally unexpected.  I've been overwhelmed with an awareness of God's kindness in His dealings with my father, and it gives me reason to hope for the same when my time comes.

I especially appreciated some of the Scripture verses the pastor shared at the graveside highlighting God's compassion on his children, and that the Good Shepherd takes care of his sheep.

And this verse, printed on his remembrance card, truly sums up what I believe about heaven and why I long for it so:

No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love Him.

- I Corinthians 2:9 (NIV)



Today

Garden Glimpses

Garden Glimpses

Dinner

 

 

 

Roasted asparagus  and Radish Butter Crostinis

 

(I snapped the picture before roasting the asparagus because I didn't want to wait on the asparagus before gobbling up the crostinis!)

T-Shirt Quilt Book

 

I just got this "How to Make a Too Cool T-shirt Quilt" book in the mail and am so pleased!  I am eager to try this author's method of constructing a T-shirt quilt.  I'd seen pictures of similar T-shirt quilts on Pinterest, but I couldn't figure how in the world you would put one together with all the crazy intersecting seams.  This book walks you through every step, even for someone without a lot of sewing experience.  Another thing that intrigues me - I've always read that you need to use fusible interfacing to stabilize your blocks, so that's what I've always done with the T-shirt quilts I've made, but this method allows you to skip that.  I'm all for that, as that is one of the most time-consuming parts of constructing a t-shirt quilt.

 

I'd be glad to hear what method you've used to make yours!

 

Backseat Stitching

 

My brother and sister-in-law were kind enough to let me ride with them out to Omaha, NE and back for my nephew's graduation from medical school last week.  Bryan and Nancy don't mind driving, so I was able to enjoy the luxury of hand stitching in the back seat for a total of 32 hours (minus a few hours of napping!).  I was in my glory!!  I prepped lots and lots of hexies for some paper-pieced hexagon flowers,

 

stitched oodles of pink yo yo's for the yo-yo quilt I've been working on,

 

and knitted (dishcloths, of course - what else do I enjoy knitting?!), with the help of a forehead flashlight when it was too dark out for detailed hand sewing.  :)

 

Thanks Bryan & Nancy - I'll always remember our trip together when I see my hexies, yo yo's or dishcloths!

 

Milestones

It was such an honor to attend my nephew's graduation from med school last week.  Our family traveled to Creighton University in Omaha, NE to witness this milestone.  My father was so looking forward to the event, as he kept saying, "this is the first of my lineage to graduate from medical school."  Unfortunately, Dad passed away just five weeks prior and wasn't able to be present , but we sensed his presence as each of my siblings and I felt great pride in Sean's accomplishment.

I was comforted in knowing that our father was able to see and hear every detail of the day with perfect clarity....

 

 

 

 

 

It was also very meaningful to attend the hooding ceremony...

 

...and to hear the graduates take their Hippocratic oath.  I was really impressed with CU's holistic and humble approach to training their medical students, and I came away with renewed hope that maybe their is a future for the medical community after all!

 

We also had fun touring the Creighton University campus and spending time together as a family.

Thanks for giving us something to celebrate, Sean.  Your grandpa would be so very proud....

Congratulations!!

Am I the only one...

 

...who sees quilting designs everywhere I go??!

(This was in a sidewalk on the campus of Creighton University in Omaha, NE.)
:)

Beautiful Greens

 

I thinned my beets today, and discovered that the beautiful beet thinnings work perfectly in my favorite beet salad recipe.  Since my beets aren't mature enough to pick yet, I simply omitted the roasted beets and used the thinnings in place of the salad greens and beets.  Yum, yum, yum!  And, beautiful to look at too!



Recipe Flop

 

 

I really like this picture -  it reminds me of something out of a Martha Stewart magazine (the beat-up cookie sheet is intentional!), but the taste was terribly disappointing.....

So, no recipe will be posted to go with this one!

Drooling Over Dishes

 

 

 

I've been drooling over this set of dishes at the local antique shop for months now.

 

They disappeared for a while, and I was heartbroken, thinking someone had snatched them up.

 

But they reappeared today, and I was able to visit them once again.  :)  I don't even know what pattern they are, but they're so sweet and unique.  I love the color combination and the shape of each piece.  However, I can't justify collecting yet another set of dishes, especially when they're on the pricey side.

 

 

But, I was able to justify this purchase!  Just $4.00...

 

 

for a lovely vintage tablecloth in perfect shape,



 

and it was less than the price of just one piece of the dishes I keep drooling over!

 

:)

Garden Glimpses